The invention relates to a light housing for the installation in a mounting opening, particularly for a light in a motor vehicle, with an angle bracket, which is slidable onto a wall section of the mounting opening with a holding receptacle, and with a light disk.
Such a light housing became known in the art for example by EP 0 524 830 A2.
The frame-shaped light housing known from the EP 0 524 830 A2 is fixed in a quadratic mounting opening in the headliner of a dome of a motor vehicle by gripping the headliner from behind on two opposite sides and by being adjacent to the inside of the headliner facing the user. For that purpose the light housing comprises on one side a holding receptacle designed as a retaining slot and on the opposite side a rocking lever lock, the rocking lever of which is pivotably connected at the light housing by a living hinge. If the light housing is slid onto the headliner with the retaining slot, and if it is also adjacent to the inside of the headliner on the opposite side, the rocking lever is pivoted in its latched position and is locked in that position. Afterwards, the frame opening of the light housing is closed by a light disk.
Hence, in installing this known light housing, only three installation steps are necessary, i.e. sliding of the receiving slot onto the wall of the headliner, locking of the lever and inserting the light disk. If the living hinge is destroyed, the entire light housing has to be exchanged.
The object of the present invention is to further simplify the installation of a light housing of the aforementioned type.
According to the invention, this object is solved in that the light disk is insertable into the remaining opening with the angle bracket being slid on and in that the inserted light disk grips around the angle bracket and also grips around a wall section of the mounting opening approximately on the opposite side.
The advantage obtained with the invention consists in using the light disk for fastening or securing the light housing at the headliner. For the installation of the light housing according to the invention only two mounting steps are necessary, i.e. sliding of the holding receptacle onto the wall section, for example onto the headliner, and inserting the light disk. The light disk can for example be a lens.
A lamp-socket for the lamp of the light housing is provided at the light disk or in preferred embodiments at the angle bracket, for example by plugging contacts of the lamp-socket in corresponding openings. In the simplest case, the lamp can be clamped between these contacts.
In preferred embodiments of the invention a catch is provided at the light disk, with said catch the inserted light disk grips behind the angle bracket in its direction of insertion and a bearing surface is provided with said bearing surface the inserted light disk abuts the angle bracket in its direction of insertion. The light disk grips around the angle bracket from both sides with the catch and bearing surface, thus the light disk is held at the angle bracket in its direction of insertion. In particular, the bearing surface prevents inserting the light disk into the mounting opening beyond the desired mounting position.
Preferably, the light disk is elastically deformable at least in its section gripping around the angle bracket. Thus, when gripping around the wall section of the mounting opening with one side already, the light disk can also be inserted into the remaining opening with its opposite side and it can be deformed for gripping around the angle bracket.
The angle bracket as well as the light disk may be a plastic part, in particular an injection moulded part.
If the light disk is inserted into the remaining opening essentially without lateral clearance, the angle bracket is secured against lateral movement within the mounting opening or at the headliner by the inserted light disk.
Preferably, the holding receptacle of the angle bracket is formed by an approximately u-shaped clamping clip, which can be elastically widened for easier sliding onto the wall of the mounting opening.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the angle bracket comprises a bearing frame, which, with the angle bracket being slid on, abuts the inside of the wall with a frame section at least with its side opposite the holding receptacle. The bearing frame is held abutting to the headliner on both sides since the inserted light disk grips around the bearing frame also on its side opposite the holding receptacle. Due to this large bearing area of the bearing frame at the headliner, the angle bracket is also fixed in its position.
In an improvement of this embodiment, the light disk may comprise a bearing surface, with said bearing surface it abuts the frame section in its direction of insertion in its inserted state. This bearing surface prevents inserting the inserted light disk beyond the desired mounting position in the mounting opening.
In particularly preferred embodiments, the light disk comprises a holding receptacle, with said holding receptacle the inserted light disk grips around a wall section of the mounting opening. In an advantageous variant, the holding receptacle is for example formed by an approximately u-shaped clamping clip, whereby the holding receptacle is elastically expandable.
Additional advantages of the invention can be gathered from the description and the drawing. Also, the previously mentioned and the following characteristics can be used according to the invention each individually or collectively in any combination. The embodiments shown and described are not to be taken as a conclusive enumeration, but have exemplary character for the description of the invention.